A little bit of truth, courtesy of Emma...

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE


(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome'. that will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying F--- YOU!


(9) Don't bother : Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

My adorable son!

Dylan has been just about the cutest little boy int he whole world this morning (aside from refusing to eat his oatmeal at breakfast)! I decided that my bathroom and kitchen were a disgrace, as is the rest of the house, and needed to be cleaned purely for our health and safety. So Dylan and I skipped stay-and-play and tidied up instead. Not the most fun morning, right? But Dylan had a great time! He ran around with a mini bottle of disinfectant and a lambs wool duster and copied everything I did. He LOVES dusting, and I really like letting him "help" me.

He actually is starting to be a help rather than a hindrance when it comes to house work. As he understands more of what I say, he can shut cupboards for me and hand me clothes that need to be folded. I think it's good for him to do it, too. Not just so he learns how to clean, though that is really good! He is learning very basic and important things, like "open" and "closed" and colours (like when I ask him to hand me the green shirt).

He really is like a little sponge at the minute. He absorbs everything that we say, even when we think he is ignoring us. And he's starting to parrot us like crazy. He's just learned how to say "go" and "wahoo!" He also likes to play with keys, and I now have to lock the front door AND hang my keys up where he can't reach them. Dylan is way too smart for his own good!

We were watching video clips of him last night from when he was about 6 months old, and Martin actually got a little misty eyed. He said, "I don't want him to grow up," and I smiled and told him it was OK, that we'd have another tiny one in just a few months. "I know," he said, "but I want Dylan to stay little." Wow, I don't! I love it that he's becoming so independent. But I know what he means. I think I'm finally learning to appreciate the little things that happen every day.

Motherhood is still the hardest thing I've ever done, but I have moments when it is the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me!

In mundane daily news, Martin got most of the holes in the ceiling of the kids' room patched last night. He was miserable doing it (have I mentioned that he HATES plastering?) but he got it done. Just one large hole and then a few tiny ones to go. He also got most of the closet framed out. I think two more big pieces to attach to the walls and then the side bits to hang the shelves on and we are ready to do exterior stuff. Then it's painting and carpet. I'm so excited to have it done.

I was working on making a new cover for the moses basket for Newbie. Emma gave me her old one, but I'm not particularly fond of the cover. So I ripped it apart and am using it as a pattern for a new one that's going to be all ivory with a crochet trim. I'll be cutting it out tonight and sewing it up early next week. Then it'll have to be blanket stitched and the crochet edge done, but I'll have time to do that on car journeys and while I'm resting. It's good to keep my hands busy.

Still no luck on jobs for Martin, but we are still hopeful. And still no word on the complaint with our bank about travel insurance. I'm optimistic about that, as well. I hope it goes well, because the ambulance bill was a LOT higher than I thought it'd be. Like scarily high! Martin nearly hit the roof when I told him how much it was. Everything else was about what I expected it to be--some of it was less. But the ambulance, well, I know what I want to do when we move back. The crew must make BANK!

Anyway, time to dash now. It's feeding time at the zoo, and I have to try and come up with a meal that is fairly nutritious that Dylan will actually eat, since breakfast was a bit smaller than usual. My life is totally consumed with feeding this kid!

Some of the earlier progress on the plastering in the kids' room. All the walls are done now--just the ceiling to patch and the wardrobe to finish. Then it's paint and carpet and furniture back in. Wahoo--we're really getting there!


Nanna and Grandad Priestley gave this chair to Dylan for Christmas, and he loves it!

Nanna does her best to keep Smudge from licking Dylan's ears to death. Sometimes she succeeds!


Martin and Lewis enjoy a rousing game of Mario Cart. They even got ME to play a game--a rare event, indeed!


The results of using a belt sander without the bag attachment in an enclosed space. Not recommended!


Dylan sans trousers and looking like he's about to run a marathon!


Dylan enjoys his refried beans for dinner tonight. Filthy dirty, and he STILL looks beautiful!

I'm NOT crazy...

Martin and I just spent around 45 minutes searching for our car keys. I was the last one to drive, and (for the first time) didn't hang them up in the key box. I thought Dylan took them somewhere so we dug through his toy box and looked in all the little nooks and crannies that he likes to stash stuff in. Martin asked me if I left them in the car door or something (could have happened as I don't have keyless entry so have to lock it manually). I was thinking that I'd lost my mind and that I'd left the keys in the car. I was all worried that someone had taken the keys out and was planning on coming back later tonight and driving our car away. Then Martin stuck his hand in his pocket and, voila, he found the keys.

So yeah, I'm NOT crazy. He must have picked the keys up off the coffee table and put them in his pocket instead of putting them away. I think he feels a bit silly now.

We went in for our doctor's appointments today, and they went really well. I had my glucose tolerance test, and Dylan saw the pediatrician. My results will take a little while, and they said that they will only contact me if the result is bad. But my fasting blood sugar level was apparently really good. I read the first 20 chapters of "Pride and Prejudice" while I was waiting to have my blood drawn again, and got plenty of rest and time to myself. Martin was in charge of the pediatrician appointment.

And, it's official, Dylan is extremely healthy! He's weighing in at a stunning 28 lbs. 5 oz. and is just over 82 cm tall (just shy of 3 feet). His development is completely normal and there is absolutely nothing wrong with him! Dr. Devlin said he didn't want to give him an MRI at this point as he would have to go under a general anesthesia so he would hold still and it's not worth the risk if he's not still having seizures. Fair enough. We are going to be sen again in three months' time just to double check everything, but we pretty much don't need to worry about it.

Martin has started assembling the wardrobe in the kids' room. He is struggling to get much done on it in the evenings because it's noisy work and we don't want to wake Dylan. And we've decided he should get that done before we paint so we can just do it all at once, so work has slowed down somewhat. But he pre-cut all the wood (still re-using the stuff from the suspended ceiling that we took down in the front room) and it's coming together nicely. It's going to be so nice to have closets again! That's one of the drawbacks of living in a really old house--complete lack of storage. We're planning a trip to IKEA next week to visit the bargain corner and get some scrap wood for doors and shelves, etc.

I also saw the asthma nurse, Diane, at the clinic today. She has given me the go-ahead to reduce the dosage on my steroid inhaler since I am doing so well now. She is really hopeful, as am I, that my asthma should improve drastically once the baby is born. She also said that it'll be interesting to see how my asthma changes when I go through menopause. Great--I have THAT to look forward to, as well. I'm just not supposed to stop using the steroid inhaler cold turkey, but I have no desire to do that after the problems that I had in Utah when I forgot to use it. I AM looking forward to coming off it completely when the baby is born though.

I hope everyone enjoys the pictures. Dylan loves refried beans, but he's not very good at spooning them in his mouth. Plus, he was VERY tired at dinner tonight--short nap because of the hospital appointment and because he walked everywhere at the hospital and wore himself out. I also got a few good shots of Martin using the music room as his work room to sand down the timber for the wardrobe.

Musings...

My husband is such a great father! Dylan absolutely adores his daddy. They play together and have such a great time. Martin lets him help out with the DIY he does in the evenings and it's so adorable to watch them. Martin is incredibly patient with him, helping him hold the ruler and mark bits of wood for cutting, and then praising him for doing well. He is fantastic at bath time and at bed time and he is always willing to change dirty diapers.

That said, sometimes I wish he was that attentive as a husband. It's probably just raging pregnancy hormones, but I am feeling neglected lately.

Take tonight, for instance. It's Friday night and Dylan is tucked up in bed. I've spent a romantic evening with me, myself, and I, finishing the plastering in the kids' bedroom. Martin went in to Grimsby to play squash and have a quick drink with Steve.

I don't begrudge him the time out. He's been planning it for three weeks now, and he doesn't often go out. But he spent my birthday at a church meeting, and the following night (the one we planned to just chill out and watch movies together all snuggled up on the sofa) was when the car broke down on the side of the road and we didn't get home until late. Yesterday was all about doing some more plastering and working on the closet for the kids' room, and I was upstairs all evening while Martin was downstairs. We didn't even see each other until I came down to wash out my plaster bucket.

I really feel like Martin and I have been focusing so much on being good parents and getting stuff done on the house that we have forgotten to be a good husband and wife to each other.

I guess I'm just feeling lonely.

On a positive note, I finished the big plastering stuff in the back room tonight. I've just got a few holes to patch, but I can't do those until Martin does some work first. We're ready to start painting, and then it will be just a case of putting that closet together and getting the carpet laid. Martin's grandparents have offered to pay for it, so that's going to be the easiest bit. Most places do free installation, so I can stand back and watch somebody else do all the work with that one.

We are going to have Martin's grandad Priestley help us wallpaper the stairwells, and then those will need painting. I'm hoping to have them done by the time the baby is born. Once that's done, the house will be sell-able. There are a few bits and pieces to finish off--fresh paint and carpet cleaning and just generally making the house look more homey and inviting. It'll be nice to finally have this finished and be able to concentrate on something else--like getting Martin's green card and having a baby. And, of course, getting ready to move back to Utah.

We got the car fixed today, and it mercifully cost less to fix it than we thought it would. We had to replace the muffler, but the exhaust pipe was still usable. We had them check a slow leak on one of our tyres, and it turns out that it wasn't a puncture--the tyre had just slipped off the rim a little bit and had to be eased back on. It only ended up costing us an extra £5. Now the car is nice and quiet again, and we won't have to put air in the tyres every 5 days or so.

Dylan was really cute at stay and play today. He has started singing to himself when he is playing with toys, and I love listening to him! He was also really good at home. He's actually been an angel all day long. We've played and napped and had snacks and been for a couple of walks. We sang songs and read books together. He watched CBeebies while I went on line and rested. He's so good at entertaining himself, but so much fun to play with as well. I really do love being his mom.

Speaking of which, he has just started calling me "mom." He's been calling Martin "dad" for weeks now. It's funny that he calls us mom and dad, not mommy or daddy. He also says "cat" instead of "kitty" and "dog" instead of "doggy." He says grown up words instead of baby words. I guess that's because Martin and I don't really use baby talk with him. That's not a bad thing, though.

Anyway, it's late and I'm going to try to get some sleep. Wish me luck--the pelvis is starting to hurt at night now and sleep is becoming elusive!

Looking up...

Sorry I was so doom and gloom on my birthday. It was just kind of a rough day because of the lack of sleep, and today doesn't look like it's going to be much better in that regard. Dylan got a late night because we had some car trouble (though not nearly as bad as last time) and he woke up early. Couple that with late pregnancy insomnia, and it adds up to a pretty long day. But we aren't expecting any company today, so I'll get a nap with Dylan.

We had our house valued on Tuesday, and it was OK news. If we were to sell our house tomorrow, as is, without doing ANYTHING else to it, apparently we could expect to get £80-85,000 for it. Not bad, considering we bought it for £70,000 at nearly the peak of housing prices in the UK three years ago and the market has fallen around 20% since then. If we finish our current projects and give everything a quick coat of fresh paint, we can expect around £95-100,000. We don't need to spend much money to finish it, either. It's mostly just hard work that's involved, and we can do that! We are aiming for an April "launch date" for the house sale (recommended by the estate agent).

So if the housing market hadn't crashed, we would have nearly doubled our money on our house. That's really good--we had anticipated doing just that! And, I am going to have a few other estate agents come and do the valuation once we are done with the renovations just to get a feel for what they have to say. We'll decide who we're going to list with at that point.

My birthday ended up being very productive, anyway. I got half of the really long wall in the nursery plastered, and it's looking very good! I would have finished the long wall last night, but we drove in to Grimsby to spend some Freshney Place vouchers we got from the Gilbert grandparents for Christmas. I had my eye on some pajamas (haven't had any new ones since Christmas '04) so we popped in and then had dinner with Cathy. On the way home, between Stallingborough and Immingham, the back box on the exhaust fell off our car. It seems the exhaust pipe had rusted through. We were on a back road and not going too fast though, so the back box just needs re-securing. We will need a new exhaust pipe to fix it to, though. Exciting stuff! So we called Laurie and Christine and the AA. Christine gave me and Dylan a ride home, and Laurie helped Martin finish taking the back box off (it was dragging) and we are going to get the cr in to the shop today. So annoying, more than anything!

Martin may have found some lucrative work, even though it's temporary. They are planning a shut down on the refinery and need temporary workers for it. It would be 12 hours a day and 13 days work with one day off at a time. Plus, the supervisor lives in Hull and would be able to pick Martin up for work every day since it's on his way. And Martin would earn in 6 weeks what he normally earns in 16 weeks. That work wouldn't start until April, but he still has the part time option at the Place. There might be some work on the refinery in the mean time, as well. He just has to get a safety passport first, which shouldn't be too hard.

So things are looking up. I would be on my own with Dylan and the new baby, but Christine has offered lots of help and I will certainly take her up on it. Plus, I am still trying to get my mom over here. That would be even better!

Anyway, it's time for me to make Dylan's breakfast. We are both starving and it's got to be oatmeal. He sleeps better after lunch if he's had a huge breakfast!

Happy sleeping, I hope!

Turning the big 30...

Well, I have to say that this has been one of the crappiest birthdays ever!

Martin was at work all day. Jan took me out to lunch, but Dylan was a nightmare the entire time because she was running late and lunch cut in to his nap time. Then Gran and Grandad came up, which made it so I couldn't get a nap while Dylan did (he also woke up twice in the night and got up early this morning, so sleep deprivation was a major issue). I DID get some lovely presents, but I had to cook dinner for the family, and then Martin had to go to a church meeting in Scunthorpe. That's where he is now, so I am on my own with Dylan for his bath and bed time. Oh, and did I mention that the little munchkin is teething? I don't anticipate Martin coming home before 10 pm. I'm probably going to spend my birthday evening on my own plastering the bedroom. Then I will probably get a bath and go to bed early. Great, huh?

I didn't really WANT to do much for this birthday. I'd rather it hadn't happened, to be honest. I feel so old anyway, with the pregnancy and third trimester exhaustion/insomnia. Everyone says that you're only as old as you feel, but that doesn't help you feel any better when you feel about 65!!! But, low expectations and all, I really fancied a quiet evening at home with my husband, curled up on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate and watching a girlie movie. Instead I get a night of single parenting and solitary plastering.

I think the only worse birthday I've had was my 21st, when I was living on my own at the Grand Canyon and worked a back to back shift. Though the night is young, so maybe this one will turn out to be worse than that one. It's hard to say.

The exhaustion mixed with the overall disappointment about the day has made me emotional, and I feel like the reality of everything that's currently happening in our lives just hit. We are broke, we have huge medical bills to pay from our trip to Utah, Martin is losing his job, and we have a new baby coming in just 8 weeks. I'm so overwhelmed today and I just want to cry!

Sorry about the whining everybody. I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day (as long as Dylan actually sleeps tonight) and things won't look so daunting. I just needed to get that off my chest, and now I need to give my whiny baby his bath and get him to bed.

Wish me happy and successful plastering.

Progress...

Christine took Dylan for a few hours yesterday so Martin and I could get some work done on the house. Martin finished tucking away the wires for the electrical sockets in the nursery, and I plastered the wall. Whew--it was HARD work.

I love plastering, even though it is difficult and a little bit boring. It's not a job for the truly impatient person either, so I have decided that I am not impatient. I just don't do delayed gratification very well. I like plastering, even though it takes a lot of patience, because the results are immediately apparent. You finish, and it looks ten times better than it did before. Plus, it is finished. I know that I will not have to re-plaster that wall ever again. It's a good feeling.

I did another wall--or rather, most of another wall--this evening. It was about an hour and a half of work, and I am pleasantly tired because of it. Martin tidied up the front room while I was doing it since he doesn't plaster and didn't have anything he could get done tonight. He is going to start building the closet in there tomorrow or the next day. Getting that room finished would be a great birthday present, so I don't mind spending my birthday doing DIY.

I am kind of sad that we are just getting the house really nice to live in and then we are going to sell it. We've put in a lot of work on this place! But it has all been to enable us to get something fantastic when we move back home, so it's worth it.

Julia, the part timer at the Place, has decided (with her husband) to buy the lease on the Place. She will manage it, but they offered Martin a job. His hours would be cut in half and his pay would go down to minimum wage, but his hours would increase later on as they have big plans. It's totally nice of them to offer, but it wouldn't be enough money for us to survive and keep our house. The job hunt continues, but I am really pleased for Julia and her family all the same. It's such a good opportunity for them, and they are perfectly set up to do it. Their kids are older, and old enough to help out with the business. He is a policeman and she has been a stay-at-home mom for years, and now that the kids are older she has the time to take on something like that. Plus, the Place just needs somebody who cares about it to really take off. I'm pleased that Karen will still have a job, as well. It works out great for everybody but us.

So that's the skinny on the Gilbert household. We've got a busy week coming up, with midwife appointments, a house valuation, my birthday, and job hunting (not to mention as much DIY as we can cram in and possibly a trip to Ikea in Leeds). I'm already tired!

Hospital appointment...

I have a great family in England!!!

Laurence came over this morning and watched Dylan for me while I went to my hospital appointment. He also fixed my oven while he was here (the thermostat was broken). Christine is coming over tonight to watch Dylan while Martin and I go out on a date (she bought us tickets to see a pantomime--I'll have Martin explain that one later). What superstars!

So my hospital appointment was good. The scan was a bit of a disappointment because they were in a big hurry and I didn't feel like I could ask them to take the time to let me see Newbie's face. But I was amazed to see the difference that 10 weeks has made in terms of development. The baby was all fleshed out and chubby looking-completely adorable. And I have another scan booked four weeks from now. I also have a glucose tolerance test booked for the 26th (which happens to be the same date that Dylan sees the pediatrician).

Dr. Roberts, the consultant at the hospital, was really nice. He must have been having a bad day when I saw him during my pregnancy with Dylan, because I wasn't terribly impressed by him then. And he gave me good news. This baby is measuring on the big side of "average," but it's not as big as Dylan would have been at this stage of pregnancy (based on his birth weight). So I'm still on track to try and avoid a c-section. I thought I was a bit smaller this time around. Mostly because I haven't had strangers ask me if I'm having twins, but I also feel smaller and I'm not as uncomfortable as I got last time--yet.

In other news, Martin found out last night that Nadine is going to close the Place. The last day will be next Saturday. Julia, one of the part time employees, might take the lease over with her husband, so things might stay the same. But we aren't holding our breath, and Martin is looking for something new. Obviously, he has been looking around for wuite some time. But he's REALLY looking now. He'll get two weeks of redundancy pay, so we'll have a month without too much stress before things get scary.

Also, we couldn't speak to anyone at the bank on Tuesday. We've got an appointment this afternoon, so I'll keep everyone posted on that front as I learn more.

Life is pretty exciting right now. Kind of sucks!

Pictures from the Gilbert family Christmas...

Dylan has developed a charming new habit of cramming all his food into his mouth at once. He does it mostly with toast (but I'll let him off, since he's also learned how to say "toast" and it's very helpful!)



The newest "toy" at Nanna's house. Christine got it to put Dylan in when she has him and needs to take the dog for a walk, and Dylan loves it!



Dylan opens his new bath toy, from Auntie Cathy. She also gave us a family gift of the Mr. Potato Head family, and Dylan and Martin have had hours of fun with it already!



Dylan checks out one of his new books with daddy



Dylan had a captive audience whilst opening this lot of Christmas presents!

Good and bad news...

So the good news is that Dylan saw our GP today and we got a referral to see the pediatrician at the hospital really easily. I just told him what had happened and said the magic words, "they couldn't find a medical reason for the seizures," and Dr. Wellings said, "Right. You need a referral to the pediatrician." I'm definitely learning how to navigate the bureaucracy that is the NHS, and I was really pleased.

The bad news is that the insurance company called last night and told us that Dylan wasn't covered on our travel insurance policy. This leaves us with approximately $6000 in medical bills for a two day period. Martin asked me to go see someone at our bank today, and gave me permission to be "as nasty as you want." That's something, coming from Martin. I can be pretty nasty. Though I'm out of practice, having been on my best behavior since moving to England (remember how I have been trying to IMPROVE peoples' impression of Americans over here?). I've been gearing up for it all day, and will be speaking to them in about 45 minutes. They pretty much gave us the wrong insurance policy and since we left the following day, the first chance we had to read all the details was AFTER Dylan had his seizures.

But on another happy note, I am having my third ultrasound on Thursday and Martin and I are going on a date later that night. Plus, my father-in-law is coming over to fix my oven. The thermostat on it is broken, and it is REALLY difficult to bake stuff as a result. He bought the part for it last week and is going to install it when he comes over to watch Dylan while I go in for my ultrasound. Martin can't get the time off work to come with me this time.

So I've been feeling a lot of pressure to find out the sex of the baby. The family were kind of pushing about it, and now Emma has started as well. It's so tempting right now, because I have seen some adorable baby clothes and Martin and I are getting really close to actually decorating the nursery (the big constructino stuff should get finished this weekend). But I've decided that I am sticking to my decision not to find out. So people, stop pestering me!!!

Must run--got to go shout at people and be a nasty, pushy American. Wish me luck everybody!!!

The closest thing to an apology...

Today I ran into my old Volvo boss, Alan, on my way to Tesco with Dylan. It was a little bit surreal.

We had a nice chat. I introduced him to Dylan, and asked about his family. He talked about when we worked together, and I got the closest thing to an apology for the way I was treated there that I have ever received. He told me that he had made a lot of mistakes in that job, and had regrets about the way certain people were allowed to behave.

I walked away from him smiling. My time at Volvo was hellish, and it seems like so long ago, but it was still nice to have my shoddy treatment acknowledged as such.

In other news, Dylan is readjusting to life and time back in England really well. He woke up in the middle of the night last night because he was hungry. Martin had to work today, so I got up with him. I cooked him breakfast and we watched music videos together until he got tired again. We cuddled and I sang him to sleep, and he didn't wake up until after 10 am. He's eaten regular meals today as well, and we took a lovely nap together. He's almost been on his normal schedule, and if he sleeps tonight we will be back on track. I haven't minded taking care of him at all though--I will do whatever it takes to keep him healthy and happy.

We are going to bed soon, because I want to be rested in case Dylan wakes up. Church should be interesting tomorrow!

A few pictures of the holiday...

Dylan and mommy enjoy some cuddles


The boys have a little nap in the back seat


Dylan and uncle Jace had a great time playing together!


Dylan and Emi-weeks apart, yet so very different!


Dylan with his Grandpa Bowcutt--this is definitely a Bowcutt baby!

Home again...

Well, we are back in the UK now. It was a relatively uneventful journey back--just VERY long. Dylan was a trooper though, and Martin was fantastic. By the time we got to Amsterdam we were both exhausted and Dylan wanted to play, so that was kind of rough. But we managed, and had a 4 hour family nap when we got in. We've been to dinner with the in-laws, and now are just waiting for Dylan to fall asleep.

It's good to be home, but I wish home wasn't here!

I'll get some pictures posted soon, because I have some really good ones from the visit and the flights. I get to figure out the new camera and install the software on our computer. Long day though, and I just want to go to bed!

New Year, and big changes to come!

Happy new year everybody!!!

So far, 2009 has been good. We are having dinner with Krystle tonight in her adorable apartment, and it's fun. I get to see all of my lovely things that I left behind when we moved to England, and it makes me sad and happy at the same time. Sad because I miss my stuff, but happy because Krystle is putting it to such good use. And also happy because I will be getting it back when we move home (hopefully some time later this year).

So I'm just sitting here thinking about all the things that are going to change in the coming year. I will turn 30. I will have my second child. I will move from England to the U.S. I know it's only three things, but they are all major. So I think my new year's resolution will be to just make it through 2009 with my sanity intact.

Martin is going to pay his tithing this year. A worthy goal indeed. He is also going to try to be tidier. I like that one a lot.

We bought our Christmas present today--a combined gift from Mom and Dad and Daddy Doug and Rae. We have a new digital camera, and it's lovely. The video function on it seems really good--at least much better than our old one. So hopefully we will be able to get better video clips on the blog from now on. And the pictures will be a better quality, as well. This means that everyone can print copies of our pictures if they want to and they will look much better!

Utah is still being very kind to us, and it will be hard to go home when the time comes. Although I still maintain that it will be nice to get back. You get really used to having your own space, and it's hard to cram your life into one room for over three weeks. Amber, I don't know how you managed!

Anyway, time to go. The Thai green curry is ready and the parents just arrived.